Not applicable.
This invention relates to entrance doors for tents.
Entrance doors of tents are now generally of a zippered type. There are drawbacks and problems with them, especially when entering and exiting a tent many times during a short period of time. After awhile one tires of stooping, zipping, and unzipping. Sometimes the zippers stick and won""t move and sometimes they pull apart.
The tent screen door in U.S. Pat. No. 3,513,862 to Pohl 1970, May 26 describes a knockdown rigid hinged door for a wall tent but it is complicated to manufacture because of its many parts and it has to be removed from a tent""s wall and packed up for moving and then it has to be unpacked from the carrying case and attached to the tent wall when the tent is used again.
The screen door entry system in U.S. Pat. No. 5,231,809 to Benjamino and Poore Aug. 3, 1993 is similar to Pohl""s patent in that it also must be attached to the tent wall for use and then removed from the tent""s wall for packing.
The tent described by Goodman U.S. Pat. No. 1,636,507 (1925) comprises a tent door which is of fabric and a tight joint is made by eyelets and lacings. A stick is placed in a hem at the bottom edge of the door flap to provide weight as well as for convenience in rolling up the door. It is not structural and would not supply the ease of entering and exiting a tent as a structural door does.
The tent described by Chadirjian U.S. Pat. No. 1,699,094 (1926) comprises doors formed in its front wall which is of a tent material and also not structural.
The door described by McCloud U.S. Pat. No. 1,989,657 (1932) relates to small pass doors through sectional doors of the overhead type. The pass door has three sections united to one another by hinges which permit it to roll up with the main sectional door. This door does not comprise means for making it first rigid then foldable, but of course its use is different than for doors in tents which are rolled up after use, for transport and storage.
The portable shelter of McGertv U.S. Pat. No. 3,169,543 (1962) describes a shelter which can be quickly collapsed into a compact package so as to enable it to be easily transported. It comprises various telescoping interfitting portions that collapse into each other. This telescoping idea is very different than the folding idea of the present invention.
A collapsible hunting blind of Husted U.S. Pat. No. 4,067,346 (1976) describes a door comprising a zipper on one panel of tent material that forms a flap opening through which a person gets in and out of the blind. In the current invention all zippers are illuminated and a structural door hinged to a door frame and weather stripped is provided.
A sectional door with roller shield apparatus is described by Martin U.S. Pat. No. 6,227,281 B1 (1999). It includes a plurality of door sections hingedly joined in an edge-to-edge relationship. But this door only folds backwards. It does not also swing open and shut like a conventional structural entrance door.
Oxnard U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,641 (1998) describes a self storage facility having insulated storage rooms, each room having an exterior foldable door. But it is not capable of being folded up with its door frame.
Accordingly, when a tent door/door frame unit is permanently attached around a tent""s wall opening it allows ease in erecting and taking down a tent, and this unit:
(a) provides for a rigid unit to convert to a unit that folds and the unit conveniently folds around and with a rolled up tent;
(b) and provides a spring-assisted-hinged door that closes the door and holds it closed without the need of latching the door unless for security reasons;
(c) and provides a tent door that effectively seals out uninvited insect guests without the use of zipper closures;
(d) and provides for a rigid unit because of interconnecting backbone segments, rigidity poles, and strong materials in its construction.
xe2x80x9cFurther objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent from a consideration of my drawings and ensuing description.xe2x80x9d
12 backbone segment
14 base plate
16 threshold
18 bug-stopping weather strip
22 header/rain trough
23 flanges
24 hole
26 weld
27 frame segment
28 frame side
30 backbone column
32 framea""s raised border
34 door stop/breech finger
36 bug-stopping weather strip segment
38 door segment
40 door""s raised border
42 underside mortise
44 hinge segment
46 joint
48 tubular section
50 female open-ended box
52 male open-ended box
54 male open-ended box
56 open end
58 box sides
60 bottom plate
62 pointed end
63 blunt end
66 female inside threads
68 protruding plug with male threads
70 rigidity pole segment
72 door pull
73 security latch
76 magnifying peep hole
78 fabric
80 tie down
In accordance with the present invention of a tent door hinged to a tent door frame wherein forms a unit that is structural and yet becomes roll-up-able by means of removable rigidity poles. Wherein said unit can be permanently attached to the fabric around a wall opening in a tent wherein the unit is then able to be folded around and with a rolled up tent.